Commonly, life-saving rafts are stored in an uninflated condition on aircraft, ships and boats. Particularly on aircraft, the packing size and the weight of the raft is a consideration.
With respect to rafts carried by aircraft, the weight of the raft can be reduced by enhancing the buoyancy of the floor of the fully loaded raft.
Prior art rafts incorporate pre-existing technology wherein the floor of the raft is taut. These rafts commonly include a peripherally disposed, inflatable tube and a floor which is kept taut or flat over the interior space defined by the tube. The floor has a spatial area generally equivalent to the spatial area of the raft when the peripheral tube is inflated.
Further, rafts carried by aircraft commonly utilize two, vertically stacked peripheral tubes. This prior art raft includes a floor which is taut or flatly disposed between the upper and lower vertically stacked, peripheral tubes.